Pros
Putting passion and interest aside, if one is looking for a literal zero office politics working environment, EduEdge would definitely be such a place. Over the past 2 years and counting, my colleagues and superiors have been nothing but supportive. It was not an easy start for me and I definitely made many mistakes along the way but the supportive culture at EE definitely got me going even at my lowest. Unlike most corporate settings where individual achievements and work performance are scrutinised, things are a tad different at EE. There is absolutely no way one is going to progress if their primary focus is merely on putting others down or showing how they are better than the rest. Instead, I find myself working a lot on personal development, growing myself in terms of teaching proficiency and curriculum design while helping newer staff members along the way. To put it simply, I am the measure of my own success, not anyone else.
Now, the next point might seem unbelievable or ‘scripted’ but I actually do look forward to every day I turn up at work for classes. I want to give a shout-out before I continue - ‘I love my job’. While there may be bad times, nothing beats the sense of achievement and fulfilment when I see my students improving over time. Contrary to my previous jobs in other sectors, good end-results were just results back then. Yes, it does translate to a good year-end bonus but it seemed a little bit lacking or ‘empty’ to me. I do not feel that I made a difference in any way. Just a few weeks before I had the opportunity to pen this message down, I received a few text messages over Whatsapp from graduating students as well as parents right after the national examination results were released. Those were messages that were literally overflowing with heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for my efforts. While most managed to achieve their desired grades, there were a few who underperformed but it didn’t stop them from dropping me a message to let me know how they did and how they did still make an improvement, despite how minor it was. I digressed quite a little but the main idea I’m trying to put across is, as a teacher, what you do and say in class makes a difference to the students. While my main role as a Language Specialist at EE is to deliver the lessons and help students improve, I was surprised at how much of an impact I left on the students not just academically, but also on shaping their character.
As for working hours, I greatly appreciate the flexibility provided by the company to get our work done. Meaning to say, apart from the fixed lesson schedule and a day allocated for team meetings, there is absolutely no requirement for me to be in office to ‘clock’ the hours. There is a great level of trust (unless otherwise abused) for staff members to plan their own work routine. This also translates into more free time where I am able to plan my personal stuff. Although I must say, I was guilty of procrastination previously and often left my tasks till the very last minute.
Cons
While flexible working hours are welcomed, the downside would be procrastination - which was a real problem for me back then given that I wasn't as self-disciplined as I am now. It was a real learning process for me to tighten the reins on myself and really get to terms with proper time management. Given the nature of the education industry, do not be surprised if you find yourself clearing work outside of the usual ‘working hours’ late at night and weekends.
Don’t expect teaching to be as simple as just delivering the lesson in class. To aspiring educators, it involves a whole chain of processes that includes pre-lesson prep, post-lesson consultations and marking of scripts. Furthermore, teachers are also sometimes required to liaise and communicate with parents to further assist the students in their journey at EE.
It is definitely not an easy journey for new teachers but if you are into education and are willing to go the extra mile to nurture the next generation of students, this is definitely the right place for you to learn and develop yourself into a formidable language educator :) Then again, if something comes easy, it is likely not worth going for.
